98 Neal Martin, The Wine Advocate (February 2017)

Tasted blind as a vintage comparison at the Valandraud vertical, the 2009 Pontet-Canet is a wine that I have tasted several times throughout the year. Here, it is clearly bestowed a very powerful and intense bouquet with raspberry jam, boysenberry, graphite and cold, wet limestone aromas - very well defined and focused, the oak seamlessly integrated. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, crisp acidity, in a funny way more like a 2010 towards the finish thanks to its structure.

It still feels quite backward and with much more to give, a sense of coiled up energy conveyed upon the extremely persistent finish. It remains a deeply impressive Pauillac with decades ahead of it. Tasted December 2016.

96 Stephen Tanzer, Vinous (July 2012)

Bright, full ruby. Pure, vibrant aromas of cassis, blackberry, blueberry, licorice, graphite and leather. Like liquid velvet on entry, then energetic and sharply delineated in the mid-palate, with penetrating minerality intensifying the pristine dark berry flavors.

Most impressive today on the extremely long, perfumed finish, which shows suave, noble tannins and a magically light touch for such an intense wine. This wine is remarkably tastable today but it's also built for 30+ years of aging.

100 Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com (February 2018)

A wine I’ve been lucky enough to have numerous times since release, the 2009 Pontet Canet is one of those magical efforts that wine lovers encounter far too infrequently. From one of the greatest vintages for the region ever, this deep, saturated purple-colored effort offers an incredible bouquet of crème de cassis, blackcurrants, lead pencil shavings, damp earth, and graphite. This gives way to a full-bodied, powerful Pauillac that carries a massive amount of sweet fruit yet stays light and beautifully balanced on the palate.

With ripe, sweet tannin, an expansive texture, and awesome mid-palate depth, as well as incredible purity, freshness, and delineation, it’s as good as wine gets and can be enjoyed anytime over the coming 4-5 decades. Hats off to proprietor Alfred Tesseron and the team at Pontet Canet!

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